


Men of Thaumasia Planum (Dashing through the Snow)

by Kapla_Quail



Category: Starfighter (Comic)
Genre: Backstory, Domestic Fluff, Drinking Tea, Established Relationship, Friendship, Keeler's hair, M/M, Mars life, Plot? What Plot?, Politics, Polyamory, Post-Mutiny, Refugees, Reunions, Sex (mentioned), Whistleblowers, Winter, biker!Abel, bisexual Cain, nice!Cain (comparatively)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21902704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kapla_Quail/pseuds/Kapla_Quail
Summary: Abel coaxes Cain to visit an old friend. Cain is reluctant at first, but maybe it's time to move on, not only physically?
Relationships: Abel/Cain (Starfighter), Abel/Keeler (Starfighter), Cain/Keeler (Starfighter), Encke/Keeler (Starfighter)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10
Collections: Starfighter Secret Santa





	Men of Thaumasia Planum (Dashing through the Snow)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [coreaneggroll](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coreaneggroll/gifts).



> This is my Secret Santa-gift for the lovely coreaneggroll – some sweet, fluffy, wintery Caibel to warm the heart (or so at least I hope). I know it's short... But this is my first take on Team Reliant, so please be lenient with me!

“What the fuck, princess?”, Alexei exclaimed, disentangling himself from the bedsheets, exposing his body in all its naked, sweaty, muscular glory. “I'm not ready with you yet, so how can you be leaving?”

Ethan looked back over his shoulder with a knowing smirk. He tried not to trip over the piles of clothes accumulating on the floor while he hobbled towards the bathroom, naked himself except for a towel pressed between his sticky legs.

“I'm leaving now because I know if we'd go on, we wouldn't make it to our date in time. I promised to come by today, and I hate breaking my promises.”

Noticing Alexei's annoyed frown, the blond held out one hand towards the bed in a reconciling gesture. “Wanna join me in the shower?”

Alexei grunted and sulked for a moment before he got up morosely. Even when the hot water was running down over his sore limbs and he got Ethan's explicit permission to soap his body everywhere, he couldn't quite stop his imprecations.

“Why did you have to put that fucking date on a saturday of all days? I want to enjoy my weekends, princess, not drag my ass to some shitty officer's house downtown - in Mars winter!”

“Aljosha”, Abel purred, caressing his partner's face before weaving his hands through his own wet strands of hair like he knew his partner enjoyed watching him do. “You know it was only today that Nikos could borrow me his snowmobile, right?” And he turned back under the water's spray as if totally unaware of his partner's shock.

Alexei smacked his tongue, obviously unamused. “Nikos! Don't you ever mention that name again, do you hear me? It's bad enough that fucker had his hands on you at a time when there was nothing I could do about it.”

Ethan chuckled, then spluttered because he got foam into his mouth. “Remember he had his hands on you, too, back then? If it hadn't been for him, this gunshot wound would have killed you, right then and there. You should rather be thankful there's a surgeon like him here at colony IV instead of constantly insulting your lifesaver.”

“Lifesaver, my ass! I hate that fucker of an upstart!”, Alexei passionately exclaimed.

Ethan still laughed. “May it be the true reason is your completely childish animosity towards his brother?” The pretty blond stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Alexei's neck, twinkling with his eyes while snuggling his wet body against his partner's.

“Tch! I don't want to talk about it.”

Ethan chuckled and kissed the other man's cheek tenderly. “Come on, baby. We have to get dressed and pack our stuff together. It's a long enough ride to go downtown, and I don't want to be late. Solomon relies on me.”

***

Alexei had to admit that the winterly ride through the slums and suburbs of New Volga wasn't as bad as he had expected. Bundled up in layers of thermo apparel, face covered with the vital respiratory mask, he really managed to enjoy the thrill of the speed, the gusts of wind and snowflakes that seized both men from the sides while they drove. Huddled against Ethan's back, his arms wrapped tightly around him, he felt much of the bliss he had gotten from dashing through space once, this feeling of being alone and yet so powerful among the vast field of stars.

Now like then, Ethan was hell of a pilot, exhausting the machine as much as it would allow, never recoiling from abrupt turns or risky manoeuvers, yet always master of the situation. He had somehow puzzled out a route that avoided the crowded streets of the city but lead through large backyards and undulating fields instead, thus making their trip something of an outdoor adventure, with the windmills of New Volga on one side and the menacingly beautiful silhouette of the Frontier in the background.

Alexei grabbed his partner's waist for dear life, revelling in Ethan's talents and not regretting for an instant that it was him only who had obtained the Mars driving permit (although he'd never admit that aloud). He loved that man, loved him for his determination, his youthful zeal and his reliability. Unlike all appearances, Alexei was fine with letting his partner take the lead, in bed and now here on the snowmobile alike. So when after more than one hour they finally reached the more uptown quarters of his hometown, he was somewhat frozen-stiff, but almost disappointed the ride came to its end.

“Wow!”, Ethan exclaimed when he climbed from the conveyance in front of a certain low, white house in traditional colonial style. “That was an amzing ride, and not a single snowdrift on our way!”

Alexei grunted while he stepped onto the snowy ground, too. “I hope your pansy ass lieutenant is capable of making a good algae tea, if not I swear I'll be getting the space flu.”

And to emphasize this, Alexei rubbed his arms and flapped his legs, bouncing on his frozen feet to get warm.

***

Keeler looked genuinely happy when he welcomed Alexei and Ethan at his door, but also a lot more worn out and emaciated than his photoshopped likenesses on the colonial tabloid covers suggested. After the mutiny, Keeler and Encke (or fuck, Erik and Solomon – it was so hard to abandon these old task names!) had become celebrities, and the public interest didn't even cease when Erik was convicted and only granted reprieve later because of his critical health. After years of hearings and prosecutions on earth, the whistleblowers had ultimately obtained asylum in colony IV, and here they lived ever since, seen half as criminals, half as heroes.

The mutiny of the Sleipnir had launched a critical dispute about the Alliance and its powers, it had been the beginning of fundamental reforms and also opened a way to first peace talks with the Terons. Being the mutiny's leaders, the two ex-lieutenants were now invited to every meeting of the United Planets, to hundreds of press conferences and all that other elitist stuff people like Ethan's father devoted themselves to. But of course, Erik with his not-so-secret-any-more heart disease hadn't been fit for such a life in the public eye. As Alexei knew from Ethan, he had been spending the entire last year on earth because of a complicated surgery and ensuing stay in a rehab center. Recovered enough to travel back home to Mars, he was living here now somewhat secludedly while his partner had to work through all their diplomatic missions alone.

But Solomon wouldn't have been Solomon if he wouldn't have shit his pants about his trophy bride being lonely, helpless and in danger in the oh-so-feral colonies. Erik had always been his weak spot, and the fucker knew that being his former leader, he was Ethan's weak spot, too. So without any scruples, he had hired him to babysit his sweetheart, and Ethan had of course agreed. Tch, as if a grown up man that used to boss around hundreds of recruits wasn't able to run his own fucking house!

<<Welcome, Ethan, welcome, Alexei!>>, the grown up (but still very short) man was about to purr into Ethan's hug in a colonial Russian he spoke without any detectable accent (as Alexei had to admit begrudgingly). <<I'm so happy you could make it here despite the snow storm! Please come in and warm yourselves up. Feel at home at our place!>>

Alexei looked around while he tore the respiratory mask and the thermal suit off his body. 'Our place' – ha! More like 'our palace'. The house dripped with unnecessary, pseudo-folksy furniture only rich fucks like lieutenants could afford. There even was a fake-fireplace with electric flames, apparently supposed to spread an earthly Gemütlichkeit in the barbaric martian world.

“You look really good, Erik”, Alexei heard Ethan flirt and had to suppress a cough, “I'm so happy you came through that surgery okay. Let's hope it was the last one, right? How do you do with the new heart? Do you follow your instructions and take it easy?”

The ex-navigator laughed and flapped his hair like in the olden days. Alexei had to roll his eyes about how completely smitten Ethan was again after like some seconds. “Of course I do. My body seems to adapt well enough, but rehab was incredibly gruelling. I'm so glad to be back home finally!”

He hugged Alexei now, who had undressed himself down to his thermal underwear to stand the heat in Erik's place. And although he didn't want to acknowledge it, feeling those strands of silky hair under one's hands while hugging really was... nice. Yeah, one couldn't say it otherwise.

“Oh, you're cold as ice!”, Erik exclaimed in worry. “Alexei, why don't you make yourself comfortable on my sofa and I make you a nice, hot cup of algae tea?” He winked and although Alexei had no idea what reason there was to wink, a hot drink really was what he was craving for since the middle of their ride.

Stepping into the large living room with the fake fireplace, he grabbed Ethan's hand to tear his partner down into the cushions alongside him. But of course Ethan was fidgety like a first-year recruit in sim training, he frantically tidied up all their clothes and then rushed after Erik into the open kitchen to 'help him'.

“And do you plan to gift Newton something for Christmas this year?”, Erik asked happily and casually while he got cups and plates out of the cupboard, having to raise on tiptoes to do so.

“Oh, let me!”, Ethan fluted, reaching up now, too, and then they snickered and giggled when they tried to balance the dishware in their hands, the whole scenery accompanied by the homely smell of hot algae and the soft tapestry of Solomon's cringy choral music playing in the background.

Alexei had seen it coming, and still he couldn't help and click his tongue when not even half an hour after their arrival, Erik's arm was around Ethan's waistline already, and the two blonds huddled together preparing their stupid salad, whispering and laughing like schoolgirls.

With that ridiculous hair, Erik sure as hell looked like a woman. But Mother knew there had been a time in Alexei's life when he had fucked women – and back then, he would have killed to hook up with a blonde. So if he wasn't really sure he could get used to bang a sissy he'd have to be careful with, he was pretty sure he could get used to the sight of him on Ethan's lap, watching his princess make him blush and weave his fingers through that silver mane (which must be the only reason for its existence, in all conscience).

The more he thought about that image, the more his dick told him he liked it. So Alexei dreamt of it some more, grinned and took another sip of his pretty tolerable algae tea. From time to time, he glanced back over his shoulder to where the blonds were chatting in the kitchen. Once, his glance met Ethan's when he was looking back at him over Erik's head. He was beaming.

Maybe coming here hadn't been so bad an idea after all. Fuck, he had to come to terms with Solomon finally. Because when the navigators managed to do the whole starting-over and shit, why shouldn't the fighters? The war was over, after all. And they had made it out of it all together.

Maybe now was a good time to make peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Thaumasia Planum, a landscape on Mars in the Coprates quadrangle. That's where Colony IV is (if not, let's just assume it).
> 
> I'm completely aware of the fact that Braxis' snowmobile in the comic looks different from what I describe here. But for my mental sanity's sake - I needed Alexei and Ethan to sit one behind another like on a motorbike! So that's that.


End file.
